2007 Hermann J. Wiemer, Estate Bottled and Grown, Finger Lakes, Semi-Dry Riesling ($19.99 U.S.). Alcohol level: 11.5%. This was the third bottle of this one we’ve enjoyed over the past year. And, it was a wonderful wine we just enjoyed with friends.

Like we previously found in the 2006, the sweetness in this one was barely detectable. Never-the-less it is a very rich wine with the usual Wiemer notes of apple, pear, and citrus on the nose and upfront. The fruit concentrated in the complex middle, and the finish was divine. A very Germanic like FL Riesling, though more like an MSR Spatlese than one from the Rheingau that this wine was like in the past.

The wine itself is freaking delicious, with pale, fresh fruit, herbal notes and a skeleton of stone beneath. I've not tasted many wines with such vivid minerality. Really refreshing with a ton of acidity that keeps it razor sharp and very light on its feet, and enough richness to keep it from feeling shrill and acidic. My last bottle of this, and a nice way to combat the 90 degree temperatures and nasty humidity in the air.

12.5% A/V. Screwcap closure. Very bright straw white with attractive florals of orange blossom, musk and honeysuckle over lime and chalk. The palate is beautifully constructed holding an immaculate tight line, wonderful focus, sensational delineation followed by a lengthy finish riddled with explosive citrus fruit and ripe, crunchy acidity. One of the better young Petaluma's with a 10-15 year drinking window. 93 points.

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:David kicks off with the Pike's Clare Valley Riesling from the 2009 vintage. I am usually able to find Pikes around here but might be a previous vintage.David make my day and announce you have some Petaluma and Bests Great Western!

I'll dig out a 2002 0r 2003 Petaluma if that helps make your day. Bests is something I never try or buy, but I'm sure some of the others I'll get through this month will make up for it!

David

Though I sadly do not have any of the 2003, I have gone through a couple of cases of the 2002, with a few left tucked away for another year. It is a superb riesling. I was interested to see your note, I keep meaning to pick up some of the 2009. Fairly sure I haven't managed to organise any yet. I did however organise a case of the Leo Buring Leonay 2005 last week. This is supposed to be stunning. Have you tried it yet?

Salil wrote:Unfortunately there has been nothing cool or crisp or refreshing about the last few days, other than the bottles I've opened to combat the weather.

2008 Van Volxem Saar Riesling Alte Reben (Saar)The last of my bottles, and really the ideal drink on a day hitting 90 F. Excellent again. Fresh herb-tinged fruit around a core of steel and rock. Hits the tongue like a razor, with fantastic precision, refreshment value and and enough residual sugar and richness to keep it from austerity.

Salil

After reading a couple of your notes over the past year, I finally managed to try a Van Volxem, this one being the Rotschiefer Riesling Kabinett 2008 . I had read that wines from this house are funky in style and it definitely lived up to its reputation in a most enjoyable manner. Notwithstanding the young age, the wine has already started to take on a mellow yellow hue. Noticeably more so than the Australian riesling it was up against the night I tried it. Dry in style, there was definitely a bit of funk going in the middle that made it extremely moreish (DB pls note correct spelling). With lemon fruit, there was more than just a hint of honeysuckle at the finish. The more I tried, the more I liked it. Now if I could just organise a case.

Salil wrote:Bob... if you like Clare/Victorian Riesling, look west at Frankland Estate. Some stunning dry wines being produced there- the single vineyard rieslings are really impressive (up there with the best of Grosset IMO), and very reasonably priced - around $18-25 USD.

Salil

Interesting note on the Frankland Estate. I have been eyeing a case of the Isolation Ridge 2008 at my neighbourhood bottle shop based on a few local recommendations. I am encouraged by the fact you also enjoy the wine. Any additional comments?

Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett (AP …23 00) – 1998 – Joh.Jos.Prüm – Alc. 8%. C: Medium/deep yellow with a green tinge.N: Attractive white fruit, minerals and hydrocarbons with a strange papery hint at first (see below).P: A real Kabinett. Medium/light bodied with a gentle sweetness perfectly balanced by mouth-watering acidity giving a lively and just off-dry subjective impression. There was a round undertow, some developing complexity and secondary flavours with a decently long and well supported finish. A very attractive pairing for cod and spinach. 16.5/20.

The papery hint? Was this TCA? I don’t think so. The cork smelled clean, the trace diminished as the meal progressed and 14 hours later the heeltaps smell free of paper and otherwise more delicious and complex than before. Coincidentally Germaine revealed to me this morning that she is now drying the glasses with paper. If this smell recurs, I’ll know why.

P.S. Rogov's note below reminds me that I felt a faint hint of botrytis towards the finish on this 98 too.

Last edited by Tim York on Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

Weingut Joh. Jos. Prum, Riesling, Kabinett, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Mosel, 2007: Light golden straw in color, half-dry, with its sweetness set off nicely by lively acidity. A touch of botrytis funk here to support aromas and flavors of apples, summer fruits and limes. Lingers nicely on the palate with a clear note of minerals rising. Drink now-2022. Score 92.

Muller Catoir, Riesling, Spatlese Trocken, Burgergarten, Pfalz, 2007: A fine example of a German Riesling categorized as off-dry but as crisp and fresh as you could want on the palate with only the barest trace of sweetness creeping in to enchant. On the nose and palate ripe peaches, green gage plums, citrus, those matched by peppery and mineral notes all coming together as an elegant and coherent whole. Drink now-2017. Score 92.

Okonomierat Rebholz, Riesling, Spatlese Trocken, Von Rotiegenden, Pfalz, 2007: A full-odied white, deeply aromatic with light botrytis notes highlighting aromas and flavors of white peaches, pears and citrus, all on a background that hints at one moment of minerals and at another of peppered honey. Elegant and long. Drink now-2022. Score 91.

Egon Muller, Riesling, Kabinett, Scharzofberger, Mosel, 2008: So tightly wound that this is a white that deserves decanting. Opens to reveal apricot, orange and pineapple fruits, those on a background of spices and earthy and stony minerals. Off-dry, with its moderate sweetness set off nicely by fresh acidity. Not so much a lively wine as one that is rich and elegant. Approachable and enjoyable now but best from 2012-2022. Score 90

H. Donhoff, Riesling, Nahe, 2008: Bright gold with a hint of bronze, a generously sweet but very well balanced wine, with fine balancing acidity and notes of white pepper to highlight aromas and flavors of peaches, apples and citrus. Refreshing and mouth-filling. Drink now-2014. Score 90.

Weingut Peter Jakob Kuhn, Riesling, Trocken, Rheingau, 2009: Now full certified as a biodynamic winery, Kuhn is one of Germany's best producers. Light gold in color with orange and green reflections, a medium-bodied, crisply dry wine with notes of pineapple, peaches and green apples, those supported by light floral, petrol and mineral notes. Drink now-2013. Score 90.

Gunderloch, Riesling, Fritz' Riesling, Trocken, Rheinhessen, 2009: With a label that can best be described as "hip" and a wine that is so lively you might think it would be tempted to break into song, a wine for the young and young at heart. Fresh and flowery, with fine acidity and minerals to keep the wine vibrant on the palate and bursting with passion fruit, pineapple and apricots. A wine that shows both quality and fun. Drink now-2012. Score 89.

12% A/V. Cork closure. Glowing yellow gold. Fascinating mature almost "malty" aromatic nose of honeyed ripe yellow peach, an almost gewurtz-like lychee/rose petal characters underpinned by deepset minerals and limestone with a little petroloeum and smoke as a tope note. Delivers a somewhat spiky sweet tropical fruit character (pineapple!) at first on the forepalate with rather disjointed acidity cutting in thereafter. Just drinkable and rated as fair on the palate. Frustratingly enigmatic and difficult to assess but will settle at 78 points as a score.

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:David kicks off with the Pike's Clare Valley Riesling from the 2009 vintage. I am usually able to find Pikes around here but might be a previous vintage.David make my day and announce you have some Petaluma and Bests Great Western!

I'll dig out a 2002 0r 2003 Petaluma if that helps make your day. Bests is something I never try or buy, but I'm sure some of the others I'll get through this month will make up for it!

David

Though I sadly do not have any of the 2003, I have gone through a couple of cases of the 2002, with a few left tucked away for another year. It is a superb riesling. I was interested to see your note, I keep meaning to pick up some of the 2009. Fairly sure I haven't managed to organise any yet. I did however organise a case of the Leo Buring Leonay 2005 last week. This is supposed to be stunning. Have you tried it yet?

Interesting note on the Frankland Estate. I have been eyeing a case of the Isolation Ridge 2008 at my neighbourhood bottle shop based on a few local recommendations. I am encouraged by the fact you also enjoy the wine. Any additional comments?

Mark

Buy, and give it lots of air initially - the wines are structured and tightly wound, and can show a little austere when young. And I'm glad you could try a Van Volxem. Look out for his 'harmoniously dry' bottlings from certain sites (they don't have any pradikat or reference to residual sugar), which I find his best wines. The Goldberg, Gottesfuss, Scharzhofberger P and Kanzemer Altenberg are all worth hunting down; '08 Gottesfuss alte reben is still one of the best wines I have had this year.

12% A/V. Cork closure. Glowing yellow gold. Fascinating mature almost "malty" aromatic nose of honeyed ripe yellow peach, an almost gewurtz-like lychee/rose petal characters underpinned by deepset minerals and limestone with a little petroloeum and smoke as a tope note. Delivers a somewhat spiky sweet tropical fruit character (pineapple!) at first on the forepalate with rather disjointed acidity cutting in thereafter. Just drinkable and rated as fair on the palate. Frustratingly enigmatic and difficult to assess but will settle at 78 points as a score.

This one sounds like the "curate's egg". 1996 was a high acidity vintage and, lover of acidity though I am, I have never had one from Alsace which I have really enjoyed. I have a few languishing on my shelves and may pull one out (from the Mosel as well) to see how they are doing; but having a bottle of something else in reserve in case of disappointment.

Salil wrote:Bob... if you like Clare/Victorian Riesling, look west at Frankland Estate. Some stunning dry wines being produced there- the single vineyard rieslings are really impressive (up there with the best of Grosset IMO), and very reasonably priced - around $18-25 USD.

Salil

Interesting note on the Frankland Estate. I have been eyeing a case of the Isolation Ridge 2008 at my neighbourhood bottle shop based on a few local recommendations. I am encouraged by the fact you also enjoy the wine. Any additional comments?

I was slightly wary, as this appears to be a special bottling for Dan Philips/Grateful Palate, suggesting a possibly "international" style. It's from Western Australia, though, a region that's rarely disappointed me, so I invested the double sawbuck and can't say I'm sorry. It's a very decent Riesling, plenty of aromatics, transparent and fresh, with that "limey" character that I like in Aussie Rieslings.

FOOD MATCH: Good with fish or fowl or even, possibly, good red meat: Illustrating the great versatility of Riesling as a table wine, it went very well with takeout gyros from a local Mediterranean eatery.

VALUE: Getting up there at $20, but available in the upper teens in some markets. Frankly, I'd rather have one bottle of this than two bottles of some $10 Rieslings I've tried.

WEB LINKS: The Grateful Palate Website is here,http://gratefulpalateimports.combut links to R Wines (and many other destinations) are returning a "broken link" error message for me today. Try later in hope the importer's tech people are on the case.

Carmel, Johannisberg Riesling, Regional Series, Upper Galilee, 2008: Unoaked, medium-bodied, with fine aromatics. Categorized (the law is strange) as off-dry but with a hint of sweetness so gentle that in Germany the wine would be labeled as trocken (i.e., dry), and on the palate generous green apple, grapefruit, lemon curd, minerals and a nice hint of white pepper to add to its charm. Drink now–2012. Score 91. K

Vitkin, Johannisberg Riesling, 2008: Somewhere in style between the Rhine and Alsace, light gold in color, medium- bodied and with finely tuned balance between fruits and acidity. On the nose and palate generous spices to add charm to white peach, grapefruit and white mulberries. Taking on an appealing light Riesling petrol note. Drink now-2012. Score 90.

Vitkin, Riesling, Late Harvest, 2006: Based on 90% Johannisberg Riesling, with a bit of French Colombard and Viognier blended in, light golden, showing generous sweetness and concentration set off nicely by balancing acidity. Opens to show citrus and dried apricots, those lightly honeyed and on a background of heather and spring flowers. Good intensity and length. This will age nicely. Drink now–2012. Score 89.

Tim York wrote:This one sounds like the "curate's egg". 1996 was a high acidity vintage and, lover of acidity though I am, I have never had one from Alsace which I have really enjoyed. I have a few languishing on my shelves and may pull one out (from the Mosel as well) to see how they are doing; but having a bottle of something else in reserve in case of disappointment.

I am with you Tim - a bunch of the '96 Alsace and German Rieslings I've experienced in recent months have come across very strangely. Some have shown surprisingly lactic elements, others are just overly shrill and rough with screeching acidity. The only '96s I've had that have consistently wowed me are those from Muller-Catoir (all absurd, crazy, singular but spectacular wines.)

As far as other Rieslings go... David Bueker and I opened a couple this evening that were a fair bit tamer than most of those 96s, but no less compelling.2004 Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Loibner SteinertalRich fruits, touches of smoky and honeyed notes hinting at some development and a bed of stone underneath it all. Gets better with air as the aromatics expand and this gains richness and depth in the mouth. The last bottle of a half-case I'd bought some time ago,

1997 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos WindsbuhlMakes quite the first impression, coming across so minerally on the nose and palate that it really needs a geologist to do it justice. With some time and air this starts to open out as developed smoky elements and bright fruit flavours emerge; it's rather tropical and ripe in character but this remains incredibly streamlined and precise with fantastic acidity and a stern, stony core beneath all the fruit.

12% A/V. Cork closure. Glowing yellow gold. Fascinating mature almost "malty" aromatic nose of honeyed ripe yellow peach, an almost gewurtz-like lychee/rose petal characters underpinned by deepset minerals and limestone with a little petroloeum and smoke as a tope note. Delivers a somewhat spiky sweet tropical fruit character (pineapple!) at first on the forepalate with rather disjointed acidity cutting in thereafter. Just drinkable and rated as fair on the palate. Frustratingly enigmatic and difficult to assess but will settle at 78 points as a score.

This one sounds like the "curate's egg". 1996 was a high acidity vintage and, lover of acidity though I am, I have never had one from Alsace which I have really enjoyed. I have a few languishing on my shelves and may pull one out (from the Mosel as well) to see how they are doing; but having a bottle of something else in reserve in case of disappointment.

This is the kind of rapport I like to see in Wine Focus. Opinions may differ but some of us need more experience understanding this noble grape variety. I need to learn more, especially about the Mosel wines. I was always under the impression they were quite high in acidity when young, am I wrong?Terroir and acidity in the wines from Alsace are well understood here as I have visited the area a few times!

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote: I need to learn more, especially about the Mosel wines. I was always under the impression they were quite high in acidity when young, am I wrong?

There are people here far more expert than me on Mosel but let me have a go. Classical Mosel has quite high acidity but it is usually of a particularly mouth-watering and juicy kind. Nevertheless I think that at least a smidgen of RS is needed for perfect balance; I have yet to be fully convinced by a bone dry MSR and I may pull out one from von Schubert to see if I change my mind. (IMO "harmonic dry" claimed by van Volxem and Heyman-Löwenstein means not really dry).

Some recent ripe vintages seem to me lower in acidity than they should be and, whilst some of the wines are very good, they lack for me that real bright MSR character.

12% A/V. Cork sealed. I've cellared this Clare Valley (South Australia) wine for many years now and tonight's showing revealed this is in a very good place at the moment. The colour suggestive of maturity with the glowing light gold hue particularly pleasing to the eye. The bouquet retains a degree of youthfulness with lovely lime and pear aromas complexed by delicious bottle-aged toast and honey characters. Lithe and svelte in the mouth with some honeyed character to support the abundant orchard fruit (lime/apple/pear and orange), the wine finishes clean and crisp with fine acidity and a lengthy departure. After some 8 hours of breathing and sitting in the glass the wine only just now starts to crack up marginally - not a bad effort from a "so-so" vintage and a relatively unknown producer. I'd give it a couple more years but there's no need to wait any longer. Solid effort from Robert Crabtree here - 88 points.

Last edited by David Lole on Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

My powers of observation are failing - I didn't see this thread as I posted the note on the 04 Prüm so here it is again for completeness.

2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett

This is now entering its drinking window - albeit just! My trusty cellar database tells me I’ve been sipping these since 2006, and now I'm wondering what I was thinking.The wait is worth it. This wine is in a nice place just now. The delicate florals of Wehlener Sonnenuhr have blossomed into something else. Apples. Limes. Passionfruit and papaya. Picking up a touch of wild honey that makes this delicious juicy and tropical. It is still loaded to the gills with sulphur, and might put some drinkers off. The palate shape is remarkable - its complete, and satisfying with a lovely balance between delicate primary youth and the first signs of of the complexity of bottle age just flickering to life. And all of this resting nicely on a racy, slatey acid backbone. This has indeed just hit its drinking window - and lasted about 30 minutes once the cork was out. I wonder what some breathing would have revealed. A balanced, complete palate package, what a joy.

And a sweet wine I like very much:

06 Schloss Lieser Niederberger helden Auslese Langhe GoldkapselIts not often I buy 2 dozen bottles of anything, but I did buy 2 dozen of these. At the moment its in a funny place, perhaps shutting down. Some petroleum notes that I haven't seen before, but then onto its lovely tropical fruits, honey and the marmalade and apricot of botrytis. It lingers and satisfies for some time. 180g/l, and 6.0% alcohol. Thomas Haag made this wine again in 2009. Back up the truck!

We have had some discussion about acidity in Mosel wine and I opined that some RS is necessary for perfect balance. I opened this supposedly dry offering to test again this assertion. My personal jury is still out and I remain to be fully convinced by a dry style for the MSR, enjoyable though this is.C: Still quite pale.N: On opening and through the meal, the aromatics seem quite closed down with some fruitiness and an acid edge like raw rhubarb. Now two hours after opening the empty bottle exudes a much more interesting and complex bouquet with white and citrus fruit and spices with the raw edge now right in the background adding a desirable piquancy. (I feel like a junky unable to stop sniffing the bottle )P: Medium/ light bodied with, I think, some RS and plentiful primary fruit and stony minerals but giving a quite dry impression because of crisp acidity and the same raw rhubarb note particularly toward the long finish. As on the nose I felt that something was being held back in aromatic expression and complexity and hope that, when these develop fully, the rawness will recede into balance as it did on the nose after a couple of hours. Let me not exaggerate this raw imbalance; the wine was exhilaratingly enjoyable and stylish but I think that it will be better in a few years; 15.5/20++ now with ++ potential.

Note on the “Superior” labelling.This is another twist in the complications of German labelling. I remain attached to the explicit information contained on QmP labels and am confused by the proliferation of other labelling GG, Superior, etc. used to designate up-market dry(ish) wines. Here is an extract from the Justerini & Brooks website of what “Superior” means at this estate for Abtsberg and Herrenberg in the 2009 vintage–A rather unique wine, the product of the best old vines in the Abstberg and Herrenberg sites. Harvested at Auslese must weight and allowed to ferment to it's (sic)natual conclustion(sic) using natural yeasts and no cellarmaster intervention, it arrives at an abv in the region of 12%.